Do I forgive you?
by morgymoo21
Summary: Doug doesn't come to the airport to find Megan and she leaves. What will she do when the McGowan boys come to find her?
1. Chapter 1

Summary: Doug doesn't come to find Megan in the airport and she leaves.

Megan Meade's eyelids began to droop heavily over her dark blue eyes, exhaustion finally hitting her. She had spent the last thirteen hours nervously replaying the last few days in her head. Her last encounter with Finn; the tearful phone call to her parents; the decision to pack up and leave and watching her friend, her love and her first kiss fade into the distance. Had she done the right thing? Would things ever be the same again? She'd really messed up her life when she'd agreed to go and live with the McGowan family. In fact, Megan had known it, deep down, since the very first day, when she had practically melted at the sight of Evan's smile. She heaved a sigh of relief as she felt the plane begin to descend. She was going home, back to her parents and somehow the thought of this made her relax in a way she hadn't in months, since before the whole disaster had occurred. As the runway came into view and Megan prepared herself for landing, she made a promise to herself, a promise that was going to prove difficult to keep: Megan was going to forget about the McGowan boys, she was going to stop thinking about them and move on with her life.

Days went by, weeks turned into months and Megan's spirits lifted. In the back of her mind Finn was always present, reminding her not to have too much fun or fall in love with someone else. But this, Megan couldn't understand. She was so pissed at him! Still! Why couldn't she just get over him? He broke her heart and here she was pining over him!  
One night, Megan sat at her dressing table, staring dreamily at her reflection, a speculative look on her face. If there was one way she was going to get over Finn, she knew what it was and tonight, she planned to put it into action. She was a whirl of colour as she whizzed around her bedroom, getting ready. Two hours later she was back, wearing a cute but short black dress that just barely came to her thighs. She had on matching black stilettos, her strawberry blonde hair hung in soft ringlets, framing her pale face and heavy eye make-up had been applied. An evil glint was in her eye as she appraised her work. Tonight was going to be fun.

Megan took a deep breath before she got out of the car. Her heart was thudding in her chest, painful against her ribs. This wasn't what Megan was normally like; this wasn't what she would've done a year ago. Back then she would've wallowed in her room, feeling sorry for herself. Now, she was going to act.  
Megan felt eyes on her the moment her long, tanned leg emerged from the black sedan and her stiletto clad foot hit the pavement. Attention was all on her. Climbing out elegantly, with a small smile playing on her lips she could see the effect she was already having. The hoards of teenagers gathered on the front yard stood, stunned for a few moments, before turning quickly to the people around them. Whispers followed Megan up the garden path and into the house where music was blaring. Parties weren't normally Megan's thing but she was here for a purpose. She was here to get back at Finn.  
As she stepped into the living room, where people had gathered to dance and some were already drunkenly making-out on couches, Megan assessed the crowd. She spotted some of her friends, other members on her soccer team, dancing together in the middle of the waves of bodies. They waved at her, gesturing for her to join them, but Megan just gave a small shake of her head, her locks bouncing against her shoulders. Her eyes roamed. Then landed. In the corner, talking to a bunch of his mates, Jake Stratford stood, a plastic cup of beer in his hand. Good, Megan thought, maybe he'll be drunk. Jake Stratford, like Megan, was white. Amongst the masses of South Korean's, they stood out like a solar eclipse. The fact that Jake was extremely good-looking was just an added bonus. Not that Megan was racist or anything, but she just couldn't imagine herself with an Asian guy, doing the things she was about to do. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly for just a second, willing herself on, then plastered a fake, sexy smile on her face and strode over.

Surprise flickered across Jake's face. "Hey Megan. What's up?" Oh god! Oh god! Megan panicked. How on earth was she going to do this? Trying not to let her panic or hesitation show, she glided up to his side, placing her hand on his chest and standing on tip-toes (even in her heels) so that her eyes were level with his, their noses just inches apart. Jake's eyes widened. "Come with me," she whispered grabbing his hand and tugging him down the hall. When they were safely inside a deserted bedroom, Megan took a moment to gather herself, waiting for the click of the door closing. When it finally came it was quickly followed by the feel of strong arms being wrapped around her waist from behind. He's quick, Megan thought before turning around and sliding her delicate arms up his perfectly toned chest and looping them around his neck. There was still a bit of confusion in his emerald green eyes but they now sparkled with desire too. Slowly, Megan raised herself onto her toes and brought her lips to his. There was nothing. No spark, nothing. Damn! She thought. Jake didn't seem to notice though. He had cupped his hand, around the back of Megan's neck, deepening the kiss. Well, it's not _too _bad, Megan thought. I could definitely done worse. And that she could.  
As they backed up, towards the bed, Jake pulled his top off, exposing the tanned six-pack underneath. Megan threw herself into it with a bit more enthusiasm. In a matter of minutes her dress had joined Jake's clothes on the floor and they were furiously making out on the bed. When Jake tried to get at the clasp of her bra, Megan only hesitated for a second, not even thinking of what she was doing, before helping him. That too was thrown across the room, landing softly on the grey carpet. Jake's mouth left Megan's and proceed to moved down her neck and to her breasts. Megan's eyes closed, enjoying the feeling. It was only when she felt him slip a finger into her underpants that her head snapped up and she pulled away. 'Oh My God! What am I doing?" Stumbling, she hurried across the room, collecting her clothes as she went, a horrified expression on her face. Jake hadn't moved. "Babe, what's wrong?" his voice was rough and husky. Previously, Megan would've found this irresistible but things had changed. It was Finn now. It had always been Finn. Without speaking another word to the half naked boy on the bed, Megan pulled the dress down roughly and stormed out of the room, down the hall and out into the open, clean night air. Her shoes swinging in her hand, she raced across the damp grass and jumped into her car, speeding away down the street. She was breathing heavily; her hands were shaking on the wheel. "What have I done?" she whispered aloud, appalled at herself. Jake was the most popular guy in school, there was be rumours flying around about her before the night was up.

Walking into school on Monday morning Megan kept her head down. She had worn her least flattering clothes, resorting back to her baggy jeans and t-shirts that she had worn at the McGowan's. She received a few odd looks every now and then as she hurried through the corridors but nothing that made her stomach twist as she had expected. Megan made it all the way to her locker, had opened it and was reaching for her books before anything really unusual happened.  
Jake appeared beside her; leaning against the next locker, his arms crossed across his chest making his muscles bulge. Megan just glanced at him. He didn't say anything as she stacked the multi-coloured folders and in her arms. It was only when she had slammed the locker door shut that he spoke. "You want to talk?" His eyebrows were arched high. Megan grimaced. "Not really." Jake looked disbelievingly at her. "I suppose I do owe you an explanation though."  
"You think?"  
Megan sighed. "Okay. I'll talk to you at lunch."

Megan dragged her feet when the lunch bell rang, dreading what was ahead of her and deeply regretting her promise. Jake was waiting for her at the entrance to the cafeteria. Megan's appetite left her at the sight of him. His eyebrows rose when he saw her and she grimaced. "Quick," she thought, "Just get it over and done with quick."  
"Hey." When Jake looked down Megan realised how close she was to him and stepped back.  
"Look Megan; you're cute and all, hot even but what you did last night...it just doesn't make any sense. It's not you."  
"Yeah. I know. I was just a bit um, out of control? Sorry it had to be you."  
"I'm not! Megan, I know that wasn't you last night, but did you see me trying to stop it? I wasn't going to hold back. Like I said; you're hot. I just want to know what made you do it."  
"Nothing," Megan shook her head slowly, back and forth. "I'm just over guys, all guys. And I wanted to get back at one."  
"Well, I'd be happy to help you with that. You know, pick up where we left off last night?" He moved closer to her, backing her up against the wall. Megan just glared at him. "No! Sorry to disappoint you Jake, but like you said, I'm not that girl. Thanks for the chat." With that she ducked under his arm and raced down the hall, her heart thudding in her chest. She had to get home.


	2. Chapter 2

Megan stomped through the kitchen door of her home an hour later. Hot and sweaty from the long walk, she was in no mood for company; but she was about to get just that.  
"Megan?" Her mother's confused voice drifted through from the living room. Through the walls, Megan could hear the muffled voices of a lot of people. "Damn it!" she groaned. This was the last thing she wanted. Flinging her bag into the corner she dragged her feet down the corridor and stopped outside the living room door. Pushing it open slightly, Megan stuck her head into the room and her heart stopped. On the squashy red sofa, Doug, Sean and Miller McGowan sat. In the matching recliners, Megan's mother and Regina McGowan had spun around to face her. Megan stopped herself there. From the corner of her eye she could see two tall, muscled teenage boys. She could guess who these two were.  
"What are you doing home?" Megan looked at her mother. It took a moment for the words to come out.  
"Um... I got let off school early." She paused. "I'm going to take a shower." With that she turned on her heel and left; without so much as a glance at the two boys who had dominated her thoughts for months.

Standing under the hot, flowing water, Megan felt her muscles relax. In the small, cramped bathroom which she had just recently painted baby blue, it was hard to believe that a large group of boys were downstairs, waiting for her. _The _boys! "I don't think there's ever been this much testosterone in the house before," Megan thought to herself with a small chuckle. She washed her body and shampooed her hair, trying to take as long as possible. But eventually she had to shut off the water. Immediately her heart rate picked up again. In a sudden hurry to get back downstairs before her chest exploded, Megan dried hastily, threw on some more becoming clothes (white mini shorts and a yellow t-shirt) and blow dried her hair. After applying a touch of make-up, just enough to give her skin a natural glow, Megan bounded back down the stairs and, taking a moment to gather herself outside the door, into the living room.

Megan felt as if she had just walked in on a group of people talking about her. The whole room went silent and everybody looked her way. She bit down on her lip and edged towards the wall, not looking where she was going. Megan suspected it was for this reason that she bumped into something broad and solid, almost as hard as rock, but that reached out to grip her arms when she toppled over. A deep, rouge spread across her cheeks and she glanced back into the bright, ocean blue eyes that could only belong to Finn. Her heart did a little somersault and then stopped beating altogether. It took a subtle cough from the Regina before the two broke eye contact. Megan looked over at the parents in time to see Regina give her mother a meaningful look, as if to say "I told you so."  
An awkward silence ensued as she moved away, to the other side of the room; as far away from Finn as possible. From here she had a perfect view of him and it was only because of this that Megan could see just how hard he was trying to avoid looking at her. Her whole body deflated in disappointment.

Megan watched the sun set over the horizon, feeling the cool summer breeze through her hair. She had not said a word to any of the boys through dinner and hadn't so much as peeked Finn's way again. She sighed heavily. Why were they even here? She couldn't even look at Finn or Evan, especially after what she had done the previous night. Just thinking of it made her squirm.  
The sound of the back, sliding door slamming made Megan jump. She looked over her shoulder to see Finn; his shaggy, dirty blonde hair blowing in the wind, walking towards her. He had his head down, eyes trailing along the ground. Megan's breath started to come quicker as she turned to look back over the paddocks that surrounded her house.  
She heard Finn's footsteps stop a few metres behind her. "Hey." She glanced behind her, giving him a fleeting smile. Finn seemed to take this as encouragement for he sat down beside her; remaining a careful distance away. Megan didn't say anything. She didn't know what to say.  
The birds chirped, somewhere in the distance a horse neighed and Megan tilted her head back, turning her face towards the sun. She could feel Finn's gaze on her and this made her self-conscious. She grimaced and turned to him with raised eyebrows. A deep blush spread across his cheeks and suddenly, just like that, Megan's anger vanished. She scooted closer to him, so that their legs were pressed together. She made her voice bright and cheerful; "What's up?"  
His voice came out shaky and unsure. "Not much. Painting, drawing..." he trailed off. "Well come on!" Megan thought, slightly frustrated. "I can't do this by myself." They sat in silence for a moment before she smiled, remembering.  
"You finished the one of me." It wasn't a question. She remembered it so clearly, as if it were right there in front of her. Finn's face became overrun with pain. It took him a second to speak. "Yeah," he sighed. "But, when you left, I dunno... I kind of destroyed it I guess."  
"What?" I asked in disbelief, my eyes wide. Finn just shrugged.  
"I was pretty mad at you."  
This was a surprise. "Why?"  
"You left!" His voice seethed with venom. "You knew how I felt but you just packed up and left! You didn't even say goodbye!" Megan didn't miss the past tense in his statement but she was too irritated to worry. "I'm sorry? Finn, you told me to leave. Nobody wanted me around anymore. What did you expect me to do?"  
Finn rolled his eyes. "Now you're just making things up. _I told you to leave!" _His voice dripped with sarcasm.  
"You're unbelievable!" Megan's voice rose. "You're a jerk, you know that? Is it something you like to do often? Make the stupid girl fall for you and then rip her heart out! You deserve everything you get!" She leapt up and almost ran back to the house, tears streaming down her face.

Time to think was not good for Megan when she was angry and had a lot of quiet that evening. At first her mother had been angry, yelling at her to come downstairs and stop being rude. When she poked her head into her daughter's bedroom, however, and saw her red, tear streaked face, she backed off. She left without saying a word and Megan was left alone for the rest of the night. She schemed. "Finn has the nerve to be mad at me? He's going to pay! I _will_ make him hurt." The question was, how?


	3. Chapter 3

This was it. Megan held the phone in her shaking hand, her thumb resting on the send button. Did she really want to do this? She could hear Finn and Evan in the room beside hers – the guest room – speaking softly. Megan shook her head. She _needed _to do this. Finn had broken her heart, now it was time he felt the same pain. Taking a deep breath, she pressed the button. The message read:

_Jake,  
Sorry 'bout the other day.  
Want 2 make it up 2 u.  
Come over 2nite -6:30__  
luv Megan xx_

It was done. Megan threw the cell phone away from her, as if it was fire, and it landed gently on the bed. Thirty seconds later, she heard it vibrate and, steeling herself, she went to see his reply.

_I'll b there__ xx_

Megan twisted her hands together nervously. Looking at her watch, she realised she had just over an hour to get ready. They were having a BBQ and Megan knew if she got too dressed up, people would start to wonder what she was up to. She settled for skinny jeans and a turquoise tank top, leaving her hair hanging naturally. She let out a long, slow breath. She still had no idea what she was going to do once Jake arrived.  
There was a knock on her door.  
"Yeah?" Evan stepped in, closing the door behind him. Megan's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What do you want?" Her voice was ice. Evan, however, didn't even flinch. With a smile he said, "You're angry."  
Megan rolled her eyes. "Well thanks for pointing out the obvious!"  
"Stop taking it out on me. You're angry with Finn." Megan heard the double meaning behind his words.  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
"Oh come on Megan! I thought you were smart." He took a step closer.  
"You are so not doing this again."

"Doing what?" His voice was seductive as he took another long stride towards me. Megan's heart faltered for a moment. "No!" she shouted at herself. "You want to hurt Finn, not destroy him."  
"Go away Evan. I want nothing to do with you." She stalked past him, out the door and straight into Finn; again. She huffed, landing on her arse. "You really have to stop doing that," she scolded him. He didn't reply. Megan looked at him, properly looked at him, for the first time in days. His shoulders were slumped, his eyes constantly turned downward; he looked miserable. "Can I talk to you?" His voice was low and husky. Megan opened her mouth and was about to speak, when the doorbell rang. They both looked towards the stairs. Evan stood in the doorway to Megan's room. Jake had arrived.


	4. Chapter 4

Megan hurried downstairs before anybody could beat her to the door, although Evan was close on her heels. She flung it open, finding herself just centimetres from Jake who had stepped closer as the door was thrown open. For a moment she was completely dazzled.

Jake was wearing dark wash jeans and a black tee-shirt. Put together with his already extremely dark features and hair, he looked a bit like an emo, but in an eat-your-heart out kind of way. He looked amazing. As Megan stared, a frown appeared on Jake's face and he looked at her, confused. Snapping back into reality, Megan flashed him a smile before stepping into him, drawing herself up onto her tip-toes and bringing her lips to his. He responded immediately, cupping the back of her neck and pulling her closer. After a few moments, Evan coughed not so subtly and Jake pulled away, taking Megan's hand instead. "Oh, sorry mate didn't see ya there. I'm Jake." He offered his free hand, the one that was not clasped tightly on to Megan's, and Evan shook it. Megan watched as they tried to crush each other's fingers, taking a sec to look down the hall behind Evan, trying to see if Finn had just seen her make out with somebody else; but the coast was clear, he was nowhere in sight. She saw Evan grimace in pain. Yes, she had definitely chosen the right guy.

Dinner was bloody awkward. There was no other way to put it. As soon as they had sat down, Jake had slid his chair right up against Megan's and had spent the whole meal with his hand resting on her thigh. He didn't do anything else though, and for that Megan was grateful.

Once outside and away from the intense gazes of others though, Jake saw no problem in pushing Megan up against the side of the house and smashing his lips against hers. Megan let him. "Who cares?" she thought, feeling his hands reach up under her shirt and press against her bare back. He ran his tongue along her bottom lip and, guessing what he wanted, Megan parted them. They were really getting into it when Megan heard her name being called and she pulled away. "Did you hear that?" she asked, slightly breathless. Jake, who had immediately moved his mouth to Megan's neck, mumbled something unintelligible. Suddenly, Evan's face appeared by the corner of the house. He leaned casually against the brick wall, a smirk spread across his features. A blush flushed across Megan's face as she tried to step out of Jake's embrace. She saw the evil glint in Evan's eyes and suddenly, the sloppy feel of Jake's mouth on her neck made her snap. "Stop it!" She slithered out from Jake's arms. "I can't do this. Sorry Jake." His expression was disbelieving.  
"Again?"  
She exploded. "Yes, again! Believe it or not Jake you're not as irresistible as you think. I'm done trying to put up with you just so I can make myself feel better! Leave me alone! And you," she rounded on Evan. "Stop standing there with a smug smile on your face like you've won. You haven't! You're an arsehole and if you think for one moment that I'm going to come crawling to you just because no one else wants me, you've got another thing coming!" Just like that, Megan didn't want revenge anymore. She just wanted her life to go back to the way it used to be, before Korea, before the McGowan's; back to when her life was simple.  
Megan tried to make a run for it but as she reached the foot of the stairs she felt a strong hand grab hers, pulling her to an abrupt stop. Tears were streaming down her face, making her eyes red and puffy, her skin tingling. On turning she was appalled to find Finn's face just centimetres from her own. Megan knew her face was a mess. She tried to step back but Finn just tightened his hold and stepped with her. There was concern in his bright blue eyes as they stared intensely into her chocolate brown ones. With his free hand, Finn hesitantly reached up and ran his fingers gently down Megan's soft skin. Megan suppressed a shiver.  
"What's wrong?" Finn's voice was soft and husky.  
She hung her head in embarrassment and didn't answer.  
"Megan?" Finn's finger slid under her chin, coaxing her head up. Her heart stopped beating and a cold sweat broke out over her body; Megan panicked and broke down. "Stop it Finn. Stop pretending like you care!" For a second she thought she saw hurt in Finn's eyes but a moment later his jaw had tightened and he spoke to her through clenched teeth.  
"What makes you think I don't care?"  
"Oh please!" Megan scoffed. "You told me to leave. It's pretty obvious!" Finn was silent and then, with a glance back towards the garden, he pulled her down the hall a bit.

"Megan, I meant to get out of my room; not the country." She rolled her eyes, refusing to believe that Finn, gorgeous, talented and popular Finn, could actually like her, could actually have meant everything he had said and did back in America.  
Casually, but with a certain intensity in his eyes, Finn leant back against the wall and looped his arms around Megan's waist, bending his head down so that their foreheads touched. "I'm sorry. Please forgive me?" his breath blew across her face, making her head spin. When she didn't reply, Finn pulled back slightly, his brow furrowed. Megan didn't know what to say. She didn't know whether to forgive him or not. He hadn't exactly been the world's nicest guy before she had left. Looking up at him though, Megan felt an urgency she had never experienced before; the desperate need to kiss him. So she did and she felt her body relax as soon as their lips met. Megan knew it was wrong, he had been a jerk, but it felt so right to be standing there in his arms that, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't pull away.


End file.
